Saum Kothari on Exploring New York, Managing Homesickness, and Friendship

Saum Kothari is a Master’s in Business Analytics candidate in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Columbia Business School. He is a University Life Ambassador, works with Religious Life, and is the President of the Entrepreneurship Leadership & Consulting (ELC) Club of Columbia Engineering. In this blog, he shares his experiences as an international student and a foodie.

This interview was edited for length, clarity, and style.

When did you find out that you got accepted to Columbia? What was your reaction like? 

Usually what happens in the application cycle is you apply by December and hear back by March, but I heard back in May.

I had acceptances from other institutes, and I was almost committed to the University of Chicago. My acceptance to Columbia came in on the day of the University of Chicago deposit deadline. When I got into Columbia, I was excited, emotional and all over the place. I was having dinner back in India with my family. In our household, usually we leave our phones back in our rooms, when we're having dinner.

I went to my room because my phone kept buzzing, and it was a message from Columbia University: “Decision status is updated.”

I got my phone, and I was shaking. I was like, “Oh my God, it's here.” Then I clicked and it said, “Accepted.” My parents were emotional, and my brother, who is 13 years old, was kind of confused as to what was going on.

All of us abandoned dinner in the middle and went out to have ice cream, which was such a humbling experience. It was a core memory for all of us.

Was Columbia always your dream school?

When I was applying for undergrad in my senior year of high school, I'd come to New York City to visit my aunt (masi) who lives in Queens, NY.

Because I was here, I was like, why not explore colleges over here? So I came to Columbia as a junior in high school. And I remember I signed up for one of those guided tours. I applied to Columbia for undergrad, but I, unfortunately, didn’t get in. Before that, I received this letter from the Dean of Undergraduate Admissions back in 2019 or 2018. It said, you can work on Wall Street, you can go to The Met, and it listed other quintessential New York experiences.

I still had that letter from undergrad admissions with me when I came (to Columbia) this time.  I've had that letter with me everywhere. I even took it to my undergraduate college, which is outside of Mumbai. Every time I read the letter, I am inspired. 

On my laptop during college, my lock screen was Columbia’s College Walk with the trees lit up (how it looks in December). I have always known that Columbia is the place I want to come to. When I say it's my dream school, it’s been my dream school not just for a year or two. It's been my dream school for years now.

What was your experience like once you came to Columbia and to New York City?

I think the transition was somewhat easier for me simply because some of my extended family has been living in Queens for 20 years.

When I first got to the States, I was living at their home for a week or so during orientation because that was also the time I was signing a lease agreement, setting up a new bank account, and getting a new phone number.

Clearly, there was so much going on, but my family made the transition easier for me. In terms of navigating New York, it's a lot, initially. I don't think there's anything like New York, nothing is as fast-paced and as crazy as everything that goes on here. It's strange to say this as someone who has lived in Mumbai, which is also a very fast-paced city.

The one thing I was pleasantly amused by was the fact that you will find every single cuisine of the world over here. I’m a very big foodie. I love tasting and experimenting with different kinds of food – Lebanese, Italian, Moroccan – you name it!

The transition for a couple of my friends wasn't as easy because it was the first time they were away. Everything was new and they knew no one here. 

I have two roommates who are very kind, and they are also graduate students from India. During the first week here, we tried to go out together and grab dinner with my grandfather, who came here with me to settle me in – so we could bond as roommates and get a little taste of home.  We went to this Indian restaurant, and that was really nice. My roommates and I celebrated Thanksgiving together. On Valentine's Day. I sent them two candy grams.

We all have these small ways of showing each other that we appreciate one another. At the end of the day, we are each other's family over here.

What is your favorite food place, near campus and anywhere in New York City?

Near campus – This is a very, very unpopular opinion, but I hated Chipotle when I came here for the first time. I knew that it's a staple for so many people. But in India, you experience so many spices and Chipotle is extremely bland. But today, if you ask me, I would do anything to get a veggie burrito bowl. 

Slightly fancier and away from campus, I really like La Pecora Bianca. It has multiple outlets in New York and has really good Italian food. Even back home, Italian is one of my favorite cuisines.

What was it like for your family when you were about to leave home to come to Columbia?

My parents are working parents. They both go to the office. But I think the week before leaving, it started to dawn on my mom, “Oh my God, my son's going to go so far away from me,” and, she took a few days off from work.

In the winter break, I didn't go back to India because I was looking for jobs. I knew that if I went back to India, I would not be looking for jobs at all. I went back home for spring break, even though it's for a shorter duration – I wanted to be around my family and friends back home. 

My mom has been messaging me, “I'm missing our lunch and dinner dates that we used to have right before you left.” Right before coming over here, me and my mom would ‘restaurant hop’ which is where we have one dish in one place and then another somewhere else. We would go to multiple restaurants so we got different cuisines, which is nice. I spend a lot of time with my mom, my dad, and my brother. 

When my dad used to come back from work, we would walk around the street and outside our house, which is very beautiful. He would speak to me about life, career, and where I'm heading. One thing I really appreciate about my dad is that he gives me these pearls of wisdom, which I hold on to so strongly.

One thing that he told me, which sticks with me is: Most people won't get it. They won't understand why you're putting in so much hard work and effort. As long as it makes sense to you and as long as you know you are going to make it, you should stick to what you’re doing. 

These small pearls of wisdom get me through some rough times. 

How did you find your community in New York and Columbia?

I got incredibly lucky with the people that I found.

I met a couple of friends back in Mumbai because the Columbia Global Center there had this meet up with people who were incoming students. Two of my friends from that event have stuck with me.

At orientation, everyone is new – beginning their program, moving in, getting Ikea furniture (for the first time), and building it too. That is a very chaotic time to find your people. 

I found my people by immersing myself in multiple things. My priorities were very clear. Getting a 4.0 GPA was never the main thing on my radar. What is important to me is to enjoy life over here and get to know new people–and also not slack off in academics by any means.

Currently, I'm a University Life Ambassador. I have an on campus job at Religious Life, which I love.

The supervisors I got to know are basically my friends. I tell them about my life. I have the most fun conversations with my supervisors – Tessa & Julian. From conversations about intricacies of Trading & Finance to a TV guilty pleasure, Gilmore Girls, we really talk about a lot of stuff! 

I'm also part of the Entrepreneurship Leadership and Consulting Club at SEAS, which is amazing because I got to know a whole new bunch of extremely talented individuals who constitute the team along with me. Sometimes, I also swing by Columbia Poker club sessions!

Many people face many challenges here, like being homesick. How did you navigate that? 

When life is going in a straight line, it’s great. But life becomes fun when it has its ups and downs. That's my two cents.

At times, I have felt homesick, especially during Indian festivals. In India, we have the nine days of Navratri, which is basically nine days to worship Hindu gods.

There's this thing that happens called Dandiya, where people from all different parts of India dress up in traditional clothes and dance together. When I saw Instagram stories full of people back home being immersed in that festival, I started to feel homesick. I missed that so much.

One thing I appreciated a lot was that the Columbia Indian Student Association hosted a Dandiya Raas night, and although it wasn’t exactly like home – I had the most amazing time!

In India, we don't celebrate Thanksgiving. But over here during Thanksgiving week, people who live in different parts of the United States or live close to New York City, tend to all go back home. At that time, I got together with a couple of friends and we just sat together and played cards. We ate dinner and had a good night. 

We're blessed to live so close to Central Park, and I love to go and run. I try to embrace occasions that happen over here too. When I was here during the winter break, I went to Dyker Heights, and it was beautiful. One of my friends was here, and we saw the place where Home Alone was shot in Dyker Heights.

That’s how I deal with homesickness. Though, if anything big is happening back home and I'm not a part of it because I am away, I realize how far away I am. But the way I deal with it is by connecting with my people who are my "home away from home."

What are some of your favorite things you’ve done in New York City?

One thing that I've done much more than I thought I would is go to Coney Island. It's so far from here, but I love the beach. I love the boardwalk. I love the atmosphere of the theme park.

Yesterday was the first time I went to the Met. We have the Arts Initiative at Columbia, which gives us a passport to museums, many are free. I haven’t taken advantage of that as much as I thought I would.

I also LOVE Times Square (and I don’t think it's overrated at all!)

I love Fifth Ave. I love Midtown. I don't like around NYU. A lot of people like that area, but I don't necessarily think that it is my vibe. I’ve always thought of myself as this starry-eyed boy, coming here and working around Times Square or in the financial district (Fi-Di). On Christmas Day, I went downtown all the way to the financial district – just to see the Christmas tree in front of the New York Stock Exchange.

There's a lot more things for me to do, and luckily, I have two semesters this year where I will hopefully explore more of New York City!
 

What are some of your favorite Columbia experiences? 

One of my most fun experiences at Columbia was the tree lighting with the acapella groups performing and the really nice hot chocolates served. Everyone in Columbia was at Low Plaza kind of witnessing this happen. That is something which is going to be etched in my memory forever. 

Another one is the primal scream, which is everyone just yelling and letting their frustration and nerves out during finals week. It was so nice to know I'm not alone in feeling what I'm feeling. I'm not alone in being stressed. I'm not alone during finals. I'm not alone in the entire experience. Even though I might not have known the people partaking in this otherwise, we shared that camaraderie that – we're in this together. That is such an empowering feeling.

 A lot of them also relate to University Life. I enjoy the welcome events. Those events are always so much fun.

In addition, at my job at Religious Life, I'm a Program Associate, which means I’m at the chapel every Thursday when they have evening concerts. In the hustle and bustle of Columbia and New York City, that's one hour when I'm absorbed in the concert. Nothing seems important in that time, apart from me being present in that moment, listening to whatever is going on, and that, I think, gives me a lot of peace.

What plans do you have in mind after you graduate?

To be honest, everything's up in the air right now. But I do want to work in the Greater New York City Area. I have fantasized about this for a very long time now. I hope that I get to work here. In terms of industry, I'm not entirely sure, but I would like to work in the financial services industry on the technology or data side of things, and hopefully pivot to being a trader in the future. That would be like the ideal mix. I do want to stay in New York City for a couple of years. And then possibly, in the long term, think about moving back to India, but not in the short or medium term.

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